Formula 1 rookie George Russell claimed he is often a target of online abuse from Polish fans.

Russell started his maiden season this year and has been forced to contend with the lackluster performance of his team’s FW42.

He stepped up to Formula 1 after back-to-back title wins in Formula 2 and GP3, but Williams has been struggling resulting in Russell’s teammate Robert Kubica's constant struggles at the back.

The Mercedes protégé outpaced Kubica in every qualifying race pre-season. Kubica’s struggles have led to suggestions he may not be getting the same attention or equipment as the new kid.

It would seem the online hate is a by-product of Russell’s superiority on the track relative to that of Kubica leading to the incessant insults on social media to the British driver from Kubica’s die-hard Polish fans.

Kubica had made an inspiring comeback to Formula 1 after an eight-year absence due to a horrific rally crash in 2011, which saw his right arm almost severed.

A lot of Kubica’s fans come from his home country of Poland believed that he returned for a reason and should be the flagship of the Williams team.

When asked if it was easy to ignore the reaction on social media, Russell admitted to Auto-sport it was hurtful that half of the comments on his posts were hateful. The other half of the comments supported the driver.

He did assert the only thing which matters is the perspective of the driver from inside Williams and Mercedes.

Russell also noted he had not experienced disrespect from anyone outside Poland. He does hope someday that he can have fans who are as passionate as Kubica’s.

Considering the struggles which Williams has been going through, the only way to judge Russell has been his performance thus far in the season.

Kubica did manage a point in the German Grand Prix, though Russell completed the qualifying whitewash in the first part of the season with the most competitive performance from Williams in 2019, before the summer break.

Ahead of the season’s best effort, Russell claimed the first half of 2019 had been great for several reasons.

When asked if he would change anything about the first ten races knowing what he does now about the public’s reception, he stated he would not change a thing.

His performance is earning him a lot of points considering the resources available, and he has since been linked to a seat at Mercedes.

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